Don't let the final score mislead you.

The Arizona men's basketball team's 90-84 win over Towson State Saturday was not an example of a good team playing a bad game against a lesser opponent.

Rather, it was a good team playing a pretty tough opponent and rising to the occasion.

Playing in front of 13,932 at McKale Center, the fourth-ranked Wildcats (7-0) displayed all weapons of their arsenal against the Tigers. The game even featured a gutty comeback from Towson State, which battled back from a 19-point second-half deficit to make the game close.

The UA coaches had said before the game that Towson State was a quality opponent, and the Tigers (2-3) lived up to their billing.

"They're a good team. We knew they'd give us a game," point guard Reggie Geary said. "Don't let the name fool you."

As usual, the tempo of the game was set by Geary, who was everywhere against the Tigers, turning in a sterling eight-point, 10-assist, six-rebound, four-block, four-steal performance. He also helped limit the Tigers' second-leading scorer, Scooter Alexander, to 11 points.

"Reggie did a great job of leading the team tonight," UA coach Lute Olson said.

Of course, Geary didn't do it alone. Four Wildcats scored in double figures, paced by Miles Simon's career-high 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting € including 4 for 6 from 3-point range € and Joseph Blair's 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds.

"People get on a streak, and that's what I did," said Blair, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. "This is a building block, a step up."

In all, Arizona shot 57 percent from the field, second only to its 60 percent performance against Georgetown. Add a 12-rebound advantage (37-25), and it would seem the Wildcats should have had an easy time. But after Arizona grabbed a 60-41 lead, the Tigers came back.

Towson State went on a 12-2 run to cut the lead to 62-53, and then forward Ralph Blalock took over. The 6-foot-3 senior scored 14 of the Tigers' next 16 points to help keep Towson State between seven and 11 points the rest of the way. He finished with 25 in the half and 29 for the game.

After the game, the Wildcats said they felt they had let the Tigers back in it.

"We have to develop a killer instinct," said Corey Williams, who came off the bench for 11 points and seven rebounds. "We can't get up by 15 and look up and it's down to five."

Said Blair, "We've had that problem since I've been here. When we get them down by eight, we should put them away."

The Wildcats went inside early and often to Blair and Ben Davis, as the duo were matched up against the smaller Tigers. Towson State's biggest inside players € 6-foot-7 Matt Dellinger and 6-7 Stevie Thomas € grabbed only six rebounds between them.

The contributions of the inside game opened things up for Arizona's perimeter game. The Wildcats took advantage, hitting 7-of-13 3-point goals.

"I think if we can establish the inside game, it opens everything else up," Geary said. "We can do that every game."